Publications

On September 30, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 947 (“SB 947”), also known as the “No Robo Bosses Act of 2026,” which imposes new restrictions on employers’ use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) and automated decision systems (“ADS”) in workplace disciplinary and termination decisions. Beginning July 1, 2027, California employers will be required to implement additional safeguards to ensure meaningful human oversight when utilizing automated technology in employment decisions.

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On October 29, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction blocking California from enforcing Senate Bill 399 (SB 399), a law restricting employers from requiring employees to attend meetings discussing political or religious matters.

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We are thrilled to congratulate Valerie Osuna on passing the California Bar Exam and officially welcome her to her new role as an Associate at Stokes Wagner!

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On September 30, 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) No. 1697, amending existing law prohibiting certain stay-or-pay provisions in employment contracts. The legislation took effect immediately and modifies restrictions originally enacted under AB 692.

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Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026, but California employers have an earlier deadline: Saturday, October 24, 2026, to post the required voting leave notice. Employers should ensure their managers, supervisors and Human Resources teams understand the eligibility, scheduling, and pay requirements for voting leave.

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Hotel operators with contracts expiring in 2027 should start preparing now, because the leverage in a bargaining cycle is usually built long before the first session. Operators who treat bargaining as a year-round discipline, rather than a seasonal event, are generally positioned to negotiate from a stronger position.

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On September 30, 2026, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 951, which amended the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (Cal-WARN). The amendment takes effect on January 1, 2027, one year after SB 617, which also expanded the requirements for Cal-WARN notices.

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The hot topic in just about every field of endeavor these days is the degree to which Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) will affect it. But even before the explosion of AI in the workplace, employers have been using automated systems to assist in making employment decisions, especially at the hiring level. Employers and employees have both long been using systems like Indeed and Zip Recruiter, which have computer algorithms designed to match open positions with qualified candidates. These algorithms are hardly infallible, and it is almost certain that many candidates are passed over for reasons that have more to do with glitches in the algorithms than the qualifications of the candidates.

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Hotel employers operating in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County should ensure they are complying with the County’s Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance (“HWPO”), which took effect on April 1, 2026, and has compliance deadlines approaching on October 1, 2026. The ordinance establishes new workplace safety protections, housekeeping workload restrictions, record keeping obligations, and other requirements for covered hotels.

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On September 1, 2026, California concluded its 2026 legislative session, sending several employment-related bills to Governor Gavin Newsom for consideration, some of which have already been signed. Governor Newsom has until September 30 to sign or veto the remaining measures.

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